Friday, June 17, 2005

The Ideal Screening does not include......watching a movie in your native tongue with foreign subtitles on. No Comprendo!

Brad & Angie w/ Subtitlar!I saw Mr & Mrs. Smith in Cabo for only $2! Can you imagine? In Manhattan we now pay over $10. Happily I did not break the piggy bank for this Pitt & Jolie fest. I cannot say that I thought it was anything close to a great movie but I entertained myself throughout with impure thoughts for both of the über-luscious stars. Whatever one might say about this movie, my guess is it wouldn't be "gee, those two sure are homely." The boyfriend remarked to me afterwords "that's too much lips for one movie!" But with Brad & Angie's on display I heartily disagreed. The saying “never too much of a good thing” instantly came to mind.

Still, if total genetic perfection turns you off there’s still the gorgeous lippage of Vince Vaughn, Adam Brody, and Kerry Washington on the sidelines. Now, I realize that to suggest that the welcome sight of one Kerry Washington is short of perfection is a waste of time but I was doing a lead / supporting thing so please ignore the time wastage. (And a note to all Kerry-lovers out there: I saw her first. So back off!)

Yet, despite the maximization of kissability on display --or maybe because of it since the abundant sexuality is servicing a movie with domestic violence played for big laughs -- I much preferred this movie when it was called War of the Roses . That film was deliciously nasty as well. But it understood that black comedy cannot usually contain audience coddling happy endings or underlying thematic incongruities like ”true love conquers all” when people are onscreen beating the s*** out of each other.

Oh but I almost forgot --the subtitles. English is my native tongue but somehow, while watching this film in Mexico I found that I was absolutely unable to not read the subtitles, even though I understood almost nothing I read. Pardonnez moi but I studied French in high school. Somehow reading Spanish made the English I was hearing seem foreign as well. I'm sure I missed a good quip here or there. But the movie was more "Clever" than clever anyway. So, I'm OK with that.

I didn't like M&MS for the same incongruities you indicate (and I like Bradgelina for the same reasons you indicate). While Kathleen Turner may not give as good lip service as Angelina, she was a much better hitter in War of the Roses, Prizzi's Honor, and Body Heat.